It's here! Summer!! Well, at least according to the calendar...The weather here has been a bit unsure as to what season it is, but...
The weather may be confused, but the bugs, black flies, mosquitoes and ticks are all well aware...LOL
According to Dr. Oli, the World Health Organization considers this to be the deadliest of all animals...
Know what it is??
Know what it is??
The mosquito...
Wild, right??
On our homeschooling journey, one of our favorite resources was Character Sketches. It was in Volume 2 that we learned about the incredible tools of the mosquito...they basically have a surgeon’s tool kit right in a protective sheath that holds six (!!) very delicate instruments – 4 cutting stylets, a syringe (saliva duct) that she uses to inject an anticoagulant, and a tube with which she draws the blood out...
You may not even feel the puncture (bite) of the mosquito because first she deadens the feeling by injecting a fluid that may cause two different reactions. You may immediately start itching, or the itching may not start 1-5 days later.
After she has broken the skin, she will draw blood with a built-in syringe connected to a pump located in her head. But get this...medical researchers have not been able to duplicate this. The diameter of a doctor’s syringe must be many times larger to accomplish the same thing!
For centuries, scents of certain plants or smoke from fires have been used to naturally repel insects. But over the last 100 years or so, these have been replaced with toxic chemicals.
Surprise, surprise...
In the 1940’s, DDT was the first modern synthetic insecticide. There was a jingle to go along with it – “DDT is good for me-e-e!!” Anything that has a jingle must be good for us, right? 😉
Then came DEET, other toxic chemicals, and even chemical coated clothing. DEET has been associated with seizures, numbness and behavioral changes, the potential to develop nasal cancers from inhalation, compromised immune systems, cardiovascular toxicity, respiratory distress, and severe allergic reactions. Children with DEET toxicity reported lethargy, headaches, tremors, involuntary movements, seizures, and convulsions, though the amount that led to this toxicity was unreported.
Remember, your skin is porous…what goes on your skin, goes into your body in seconds...
How about a couple of options?
DIY Itch Stick
In a roller bottle, combine:
10 drops Purification
10 drops Lavender
10 drops Lemon
10 drops Lemon
Top with your favorite carrier oil, roll gently to blend.
To use, simply roll on those bites and itchy places!
Quick tip! Enjoying a meal at home outside and want to keep the bugs away? Grab an outdoor fan, put a few drops of Citronella and Geranium on a clothespin (or two!) and attach it to the front of the fan and you will have yourself a giant outdoor diffuser!
What are your favorite hacks to keep the bugs away?
After a long, cold winter and the sometimes dreary penetrating cold of spring, you are absolutely ready to get outside when the sun starts shining warm and bright, right?? But, sadly, what else wakes up at about the same time?? Yup – the bugs…the black flies, the mosquitoes, the ticks...
And get this…according to the World Health Organization, the mosquito is the deadliest of all animals...
For centuries, plants or smoke from fires have been used to naturally repel insects. But, over the last 100 years or so, these were replaced with toxic chemicals. Is anyone surprised by that yet??
DDT was the first modern synthetic insecticide. Introduced in the 40’s, there was a jingle to go along with it – DDT is good for me-e-e!! Anything that has a jingle must be good for us, right? 😉
But the EPA issued a cancellation order for DDT in 1972 because of its adverse environmental effects to wildlife and people. Go figure.
Then came DEET and other toxic chemicals and even chemical coated clothing. Now think about your skin being porous… DEET has been associated with seizures, numbness and behavioral changes, nasal cancers, compromised immune systems, cardiovascular toxicity, respiratory distress, and severe allergic reactions. DEET brought on a change in the brain of after just a brief exposure to it…and mosquitoes and other insects can develop an insensitivity to it…
38 essential oils were studied in 2005 to look at their ability to repel mosquitos. Let’s take a look at a few.
Citronella with vanillin provided 3 hours of protection, is calming, and helps you think about those things that “bug you”…and you might just find that those “pesky annoyances” are just the things you need to be more accepting of in others...so you can accept them in yourself…
Lemongrass along with citrus or tree oils with vanillin was superior to DEET and also releases resentment, regret from those “should haves”, and pessimism, turning those negative energies into positive ones, so optimism, courage and hope can return.
Cedarwood oil protects against a variety of insects including ants, fire ants, ticks and moths. It helps you feel safe and secure with yourself as well as in your environment, kind of an energetic feeling of a safe warm blanket…so it’s a double blessing for supporting annoyance free sleep for those overnight adventures in the great outdoors…it also has skin cleansing properties and is a natural deodorizer…all great benefits for that active, outside lifestyle.
You can blend it with citronella, rosemary, tea tree, myrtle, clove or lemongrass. Sounds like a win in any situation, right??
Other great oil options are Cinnamon Bark, Geranium, Juniper, Lavender, Peppermint, Sage, Spearmint, Tea Tree and Thyme.
If you aren’t a fan of DIY’s, I’ve got you! Have you tried YL’s insect repellant?? It repels mosquitoes, ticks and fleas with no DEET, or any of the other toxic crap we talk about, is safe for children and for those with sensitive skin.
We tried this out on a walk one day…Delaney and I put it on. Dana did not. Normally the bugs don’t bother him, so he wasn’t worried. It was pretty hysterical when just a little bit into our walk, he is swatting at the bugs that had congregated around him, while Delaney and I are walking along, bug free…he tried to out run them, he swatted at them with his hat, he spun around…nothing worked. That was proof enough for me! LOL We put ours in a roller bottle or a spray bottle for easiest application and one bottle lasted us for a couple of years! Still effective!
There you go, my friends! A little help with that bug free late spring and summer.
What's on your summer bucket list??
